Redemption
by Austin Blake
Summary: Hmm. The demon wakes, and wackiness ensues. (Sucky summary, just a quote, nothing to do with the story. Angel's in it, please read and review. Thanks.)


DISCLAIMER: None of this is mine. Marie and kids are the sole property of one Jennifer Wright.  
  
This is based on a RPG (Role Playing Game) and is in no way what I think should happen. Say it sucks, but it's a sweet story with a good ending. I am a B/A shipper...but what can I say? I walked into this RPG and just had to use the broodaholic we all know and love as my character. Sue me. (Not really...please don't.) This was written purely for my entertainment. Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
REDEMPTION  
  
  
  
For centuries I prayed that I would be forgiven for my transgressions, but I didn't know what that actually meant.  
  
When I found out that I would stop the Apocalypse, and be turned human in the process, I felt a pang of happiness deep in my unbeating heart. I would atone one day. It was certain now.  
  
Months later, I had gone through so many changes. Buffy was dead. I had a beautiful and talented wife, Marie, and two twin daughters, Angelina and Elizabeth, all of whom had been born in Rhy'Din, a place light years away from their current home of Los Angeles. It was during these changes that a peculiar case came to Angel Investigations. A ten year old girl, Melissa Crawford, had disappeared from her home, reportedly being carried away by "unknown assailants". But as her father described them to me, I understood completely.  
  
Chaos demons.  
  
They had taken the girl, the only remnant of their endeavor a piece of the girl's jeans, torn off for ritualistic purposes. On it, the blood of a recently slain chaos demon was drawn across it, making an eerie yet elaborately designed rune. Wesley had done some research and had found out the rune was one of five - the Water element. The ornate design was from the Trial of the Ages, a resurrection ritual that would reawaken the Omega, Keeper of the Apocalypse. The younger the sacrifice, the more powerful. A baby was too young, but a ten year old was just right. The fresher the blood, the better. The girl was bled right then on site. Again, just right. These guys were starting to look like a bad version of Goldilocks.  
  
He would be transfused into the girl's body through mystical chanting as four runes were laid around her in a particular order. North - Water; South - Earth; West - Air; East - Fire. And in the center, the universal symbol for Alpha and Omega. Infinity: the fifth element.  
  
The motive matched the killing of another girl aged ten years. She was dead, but the markings were there. It took us a short while to realize why she was been murdered. As we read her case file, we found she had cancer, but was undiagnosed, meaning not even her parents knew. The bastards butchered her like cattle because she didn't meet their needs. She was...ineligible.  
  
The most ideal place for the ritual was one where they would have all the elements at hand. More than coincidentally, Mr. James Crawford, the girl's father, was the owner of a heavily controversial - and heavily polluting - strip mine near the bay. Fire. Earth. Water. Air. They had everything they needed.  
  
"Just our luck," Gunn said, "not only are we facing another Apocalypse, but the girl's been chosen for it???"  
  
"Who'd have guessed?" I said.  
  
"Angel, we have to stop this," Cordelia spoke up, "she's just a little girl."  
  
"We will, Cordy," I replied. "We will."  
  
As I walked upstairs to Marie's room, I could hear the faint sound of cellos - four to be exact - coming from beyond the door. I opened it slowly, a slight smile on my face.  
  
"Since when do you listen to classical?"  
  
She turned around, smiling softly as she hugged me. "It's Apocalyptica," she said, "playing Metallica's "The Unforgiven."  
  
How fitting.  
  
I kissed her before I sat her down on the bed, just telling her I had to go out on business. But I could tell from the look in her eyes that she knew I might not come back.  
  
I walked back downstairs and out the door. Just as Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia started to follow me, I turned.  
  
"No. I'm going alone."  
  
"Angel," Wesley said, "you work for us now. You're not going by yourself."  
  
"It's just four or five chaos demons. I'll be fine. Give me a little credit."  
  
Their looks showed they weren't convinced.  
  
"If I get in trouble or need help, I'll call."  
  
Oh yeah. Real smooth, Angel.  
  
"Fine. You guys can come with. But go get some weapons. We're going to need them."  
  
As they turned to go back inside for weaponry, I hopped inside my 1967 Beldevere GTX black convertible, started the engine and sped away.  
  
As I approached the mining factory, I started to wish I had brought my sword.   
  
There were six chaos demons, obviously bred for this by their size, which was needless to say...big. I slowed the car to a halt, silently stepping out and walking inside. Thank goodness for the years of vampiric discipline. I entered a large room, dark and desolate - save the grotesque creatures. The demons were all positioned around the girl in a circle, behind the runes on the ground. The fifth was holding the girl in place over the Infinity symbol in the center, the last holding open a frail-looking yellowed scroll.  
  
"Yakkum scrotok cherrim dubiak bishlow...yakkum scrotok cherrim dubiak bishlow..." The demon said.  
  
The ceremony had begun.  
  
A strange swirling light had formed in the middle of the girl's chest, growing bigger as they chanted louder. She let out a shrill scream as a scaled, clawed hand jutted out of the light. As the forearm and head emerged, she shriecked in excruciating pain. I vamped, feeling my face shift as strong ridges stood out and destroyed my angelic features, my dark eyes flaring amber with a feral brutality. Long, razor-sharp fangs extended from beneath my lips, completing the formation of my vampire visage. I leapt upon the Earth demon from behind snapping his neck.  
  
Turns out, chaos demons don't like it when you interrupt their dark rituals.  
  
I was hit hard in the side by the Water demon, the other three lunging on me as the girl was held in midair by the emerging Omega, the sixth still chanting, I lashed out furiously with a backhand, easily knocking two off of me. I punched a third hard in what would be considered it's jaw, hearing a loud sickening crack, drowned out by the girl's anguished cries. The fourth got me from behind and held me. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the movement of a ninth presense there. As it stepped out of the shadows, I was too stunned to even speak.  
  
Marie.  
  
She threw herself upon the chanting demon, beating upon it as furiously as she could with her petite fists. In a rage, I flipped the demon restraining me over my back, quickly shattering it's spine with a hard knee to the base of it's neck. I ran towards Marie, seeing now that the demons were armed. The chanting demon was on the ground, trying desperately to get at it's blade to fend off the possessed Wiccan atop it. I backhanded a demon, drawing his sword from his sheath and plunging it into his gut, whirling and beheading the second. I saw the last demon, slashing hard into it's chest, ripping it's heart out onto the floor as I tore the sword away. I turned, baring my fangs, only to see Marie on the ground with the demon on top of her, trying to push the blade into her heart. She had her hand on the hilt as well and was fighting against it bravely - but failing.  
  
I took off towards them at full speed, but my efforts were too late. The point pierced her skin slowly, then rapidly disappeared as she lost her strength, the blade plunging into her bosom. I lunged at the demon, tackling it into the wall hard, ripping the scroll in the process. The demon began begging for mercy in Latin, but I was deaf to it. I began beating it senseless, hearing it pray for it's body to go numb. It's prayers went unanswered. I felt every last bone in it's body break as I violently punched it everywhere I could, savoring in it's ribs' cracking. In a demonic frenzy, I bit harshly into it's throat, tearing it's larnyx out with a quick snap of my head. I spat the black organ to the ground, green blood dripping steadily from my mouth as it's ravaged body collapsed, every essential organ in it's body tenderized to sweet perfection.  
  
I fell to my knees, pressing her head against my chest as I cradled her body, feeling her pulse ebb and flow, her breathing slowly fade. I closed my eyes, my handsome human mask regaining. I still was a horrific sight with that emerald slime trickling off my chin, but she kissed me gently anyway, her eyes half open.  
  
"Th-There's something...I need...to...tell you, Angel..." she said weakly. "Re-Remember when you...lost...your soul...and I was...paralyzed for a...a week?"  
  
She said it with a slight smile as if it was a happy memory. "Marie, I'm so sorr-"  
  
"Who beat me?" she interrupted.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Who...beat me?"  
  
"A-Angelus."  
  
"And who..are...you?"  
  
My dark eyes shone with understanding, the affection and admiration I had in my heart for this woman doubling.   
  
"Angel."  
  
She touched my cheek lightly, smiling. "Th-That's my.........boy..."  
  
And with that, she went limp in my arms, her body deceased. Never again would I feel her sweet kiss, the warmth of her embrace comforting my tortured soul as it became too much for me. She had become a shell, an empty husk in my arms. But still, I smiled, comforted by the fact that her good deeds would not go unrewarded. She would find her eternal Paradise. She had taught me to forgive myself, for I was the only person who really hadn't. I didn't notice my newfound heartbeat until days later, when I finally broke down and cried, grieving her death. But I didn't then. Her gift to me was much more precious than that.  
  
For centuries I prayed that I would be forgiven for my transgressions, but I didn't know what that actually meant.  
  
Until now. 


End file.
